Ground anchoring devices

ABSTRACT

A ground anchoring device includes a sharpened central shaft portion along the axis of a helical or spiral portion. The helical portion winds around the central shaft portion and the central shaft portion extends some distance beyond the lower end of the spiral portion to facilitate an initial insertion of the device into the ground. Once the central shaft portion has been pushed or driven into the ground until the lower end of the spiral contacts the ground, the anchor is then twisted to screw the spiral portion into the ground as far as desired. The twisting is facilitated by the fact that the central shaft holds the angle of insertion fixed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/084,450, filed Nov. 25, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to new and improved ground anchoring devices, and more particularly to new and improved spiral ground anchors and stakes, e.g., anchors and stakes having a spiral ground-engagement portion.

Spiral ground anchors and stakes are often used in applications such as tent stakes, hitching posts for pets, anchoring awnings, umbrellas, guy wires for towers or antennas, etc. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a ground stake or anchor device includes a sharpened central shaft portion along the axis of a helical or spiral portion. The helical portion winds around the central shaft portion and the central shaft portion extends some distance beyond the lower end of the spiral portion to facilitate an initial insertion of the device into the ground. Once the central shaft portion has been pushed or driven into the ground until the lower end of the spiral contacts the ground, the anchor is then twisted to screw the spiral portion into the ground as far as desired. The twisting is facilitated by the fact that the central shaft holds the angle of insertion fixed. Thus the central shaft serves to create a pilot hole which guides the spiral portion of the stake into the ground at the precise desired location and angle of insertion, thereby reducing or eliminating the wiggling and wobbling that typically occurs during insertion of conventional spiral ground anchors, which are more difficult to insert and control. An advantage of the various embodiments is that they are simpler to insert and remove than a conventional spiral ground anchor, and yet provide equal or enhanced stability and security.

According to an embodiment, a ground anchor device is provided that typically includes a substantially spiral or helical screw portion, the screw portion defining an axis, and a substantially straight rod portion, wherein the rod portion is positioned or located within the screw portion along the axis, wherein a ground-engaging end of the rod portion extends past a ground-engaging end of the spiral screw portion.

According to another embodiment, a ground anchor device is provided that typically includes a substantially spiral screw portion defining an axis, and a substantially straight rod portion positioned within the screw portion along said axis, wherein a ground-engaging tip of the rod portion extends past a ground-engaging tip of the spiral screw portion.

According to yet another embodiment, a method of using a ground anchor device is provided, wherein the ground anchor device has a substantially spiral screw portion defining an axis, and a substantially straight rod portion positioned within the screw portion along said axis, wherein a ground-engaging tip of the rod portion extends past a ground-engaging tip of the spiral screw portion. The method typically includes inserting the ground engaging tip of the rod portion into the ground until the ground-engaging tip of the spiral portion contacts the ground, and twisting the anchor device so that the spiral portion screws into the ground to a desired depth.

In certain aspects, the rod portion and the spiral screw portion are formed of the same material. In certain aspects, the material includes a metal or a plastic material. In certain aspects, the rod portion and the spiral screw portion are formed of different materials. In certain aspects, a distal end of the rod portion is connected to a handle end of the spiral screw portion. In certain aspects, the rod portion and the spiral screw portion are formed from a single rod comprising a metal or plastic material. In certain aspects, the single rod has a uniform cross section throughout a length of the rod. In certain aspects, the rod portion has a substantially circular cross section. In certain aspects, a cross-sectional area of the rod portion varies from the ground engaging end to a distal end. In certain aspects, the rod portion and the spiral screw portion are formed together in a mold. In certain aspects, the spiral screw portion and the rod portion are devoid of connection features along a length of the rod portion.

Reference to the remaining portions of the specification, including the drawings and claims, will realize other features and advantages of the present invention. Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with respect to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a ground anchor device 100 according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates generally to ground anchoring devices, and more particularly to spiral ground anchors and stakes. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved designs for such ground anchors or stakes, and in particular to conventional spiral ground anchors.

In various embodiments, a ground stake or anchor device includes a sharpened central shaft portion along the axis of a helical or spiral portion. The helical portion winds around the central shaft portion and the central shaft portion extends some distance beyond the lower end of the spiral portion to facilitate an initial insertion of the device into the ground. The helical portion is substantially spiral or helical in that it may gradually recede from or approach the shaft portion, or it may maintain substantially the same distance from the shaft portion. The spiral curve may turn around the axis at a constant or continuously varying distance from the axis/shaft while moving parallel to the axis/shaft. Also, the distance between successive curves of the spiral may stay constant or it may vary. Once the central shaft portion has been pushed or driven into the ground until the lower end of the spiral contacts the ground, the anchor is then twisted to screw the spiral portion into the ground as far as desired. The twisting is facilitated by the fact that the central shaft holds the angle of insertion fixed.

FIG. 1 shows a ground anchor device 100 according to an embodiment. Anchor 100 includes a spiral anchor portion 20 and a substantially straight (e.g., may have a slight bend throughout, or near the ground-engaging end) elongate or rod portion 10. Rod portion 10 functions as the initial ground-engaging portion, and includes a shaft with one end having a sharpened, ground-engaging tip 12 and the other end coupled to an upper eye or handle 22 of the spiral portion 20. In certain aspects, the rod portion 10 is longer than the spiral portion 20 as shown and is sharpened at one end 12 to facilitate penetration into the ground. The rod portion 10 extends some distance beyond the lower end of the spiral portion 20 to make an initial insertion of the stake into the ground easier. Once the tip 12 of the rod portion 10 has been pushed or driven into the ground until the lower end (tip 24) of the spiral portion 20 contacts the ground, the anchor can then be twisted to screw the spiral portion into the ground as far as desired. The twisting is facilitated by the fact that the rod portion 10 holds the angle of insertion fixed. Thus the central shaft serves to create a pilot hole which guides the spiral portion of the stake into the ground at the precise desired location and angle of insertion, thereby reducing or eliminating the wiggling and wobbling that typically occurs during insertion of conventional spiral ground anchors, which are more difficult to insert and control. An advantage of the current embodiment is that it is quicker and easier to insert and remove than a conventional spiral ground anchor, and yet provides equal or enhanced stability and security.

In one embodiment, anchor 100 may be formed using a single piece of material as will be described below. In certain aspects, the anchor 100 is made of a metal stock or a hard plastic material.

In another embodiment, anchor 100 may be formed by using two (or more) separate pieces. For example, anchor 100 may be formed using two separate pieces, such as a separate rod portion 10 connected to or coupled with a separate spiral portion 20. The unsharpened end of the rod may be inserted and pushed up into the spiral portion 20 along its axis until the end of the rod 10 contacts the upper eye or handle end 22 of the spiral portion 20. The two pieces may be attached, e.g., securely welded together in the case of metal and/or plastic materials, or otherwise attached so that an end of the rod portion 10 is securely attached to the eye or handle end 22 of the spiral portion 20. In practice, however, it may be simpler and more economical to construct anchor 100 using a single piece of material, e.g., by suitably bending a long metal or plastic rod.

In certain aspects, the rod portion 10 and the spiral portion 20 are made of the same material, e.g., of the same metal stock or the same hard plastic material, but they can be made of different materials, e.g., one of metal and the other of plastic. Generally, each of the rod portion 10 and the spiral portion 20 will have the same cross-sectional shape, however, it should also be appreciated that the rod portion 10 may have a different cross sectional shape than the spiral portion 20. For example, the rod portion may have a substantially round cross-section (e.g., round or slightly oval in shape), whereas the spiral portion may have a round, rectangular or non-round cross section. Also, the dimensions or cross-sectional area of the rod portion and the spiral portion may be substantially the same throughout, or the dimensions may vary throughout. For example, the rod portion may have a certain diameter cross section near the tip 12 and a larger diameter cross section near the distal end.

One procedure for bending a single material rod into the desired shape and configuration is described below. The following method will make a stake or anchor about a foot long with a spiral section about half that long, but the same procedure can easily be scaled to make a stake or anchor of any desired length and any desired ratio of spiral length to total length. The dimensions below are not exact and are not stated to be optimal; they are merely approximate and exemplary.

Initially, a straight malleable rod (having a round/circular or semi-circular cross section) is obtained or provided. The rod may include a malleable metal material or a malleable plastic material. The rod may be heated to facilitate bending as will be described below. As one example, the rod may be about 44 inches long. A round wooden dowel, e.g., about 1.5 inches in diameter and 8 inches long, is also obtained or provided. A hole is then drilled down the axis of the dowel with a slightly larger diameter than that of the rod. The dowel is merely a tool used to construct the stake, and is not part of the stake itself. One or both ends of the rod may be sharpened. A U-bend is next made in the rod, e.g., about a foot from one of its ends. The dowel (or other device) may be used as a fulcrum to make the U-bend in the rod. The shorter end of the rod is then inserted into the hole in the dowel up to the U-bend. The U-bend is then clamped in a vise to hold it steady, and the long portion of the rod is wrapped around the dowel in a spiral, e.g., with a pitch of about an inch. The dowel is then removed.

In certain embodiments, the anchor 100 may be formed using a mold of desired shape and dimension—the mold may be filled with a plastic or metal material to form the anchor.

In certain embodiments, the ground stake 100 advantageously includes a gap between the spiral portion and the rod portion without bridging members or structural features that couple the spiral portion to the rod portion along the length of the rod portion. This advantageously allows dirt or soil to efficiently pass through the gap without interference from such bridging members or other structural features that would tend to provide a resistance to insertion of the stake into the ground.

According to various embodiments, the size of the gap between the shaft and spiral portion can be uniform along the length of the shaft or it may vary. For example, in one specific embodiment, assuming both the spiral portion and the rod have circular cross-sections, the minimum width (G) of the gap between them may be geometrically determined by the outer diameter (D) of the spiral and the diameter (d) of the rod as follows (from the perspective of looking down the spiral along the axis): D=3d+2G, so that G=(D−3d)/2. For example, if the outer diameter of the spiral is D =2.5 inches and the diameter of the rod is d = 5/16 of an inch, then the gap between the rod and the spiral would be 25/32 of an inch, or 0.78 inches. One skilled in the art will understand that the gap may have a larger or a smaller dimensional relationship than G=(D−3d)/2.

All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and “at least one” and similar referents in the context of describing the disclosed subject matter (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The use of the term “at least one” followed by a list of one or more items (for example, “at least one of A and B”) is to be construed to mean one item selected from the listed items (A or B) or any combination of two or more of the listed items (A and B), unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or example language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosed subject matter and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

Certain embodiments are described herein. Variations of those embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the embodiments to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. 

1. A ground anchor device, comprising: a substantially spiral screw portion, the screw portion defining an axis; and a substantially straight rod portion, wherein the rod portion is positioned within the screw portion along said axis, wherein a ground-engaging end of the rod portion extends past a ground-engaging end of the spiral screw portion.
 2. The ground anchor device of claim 1, wherein the rod portion and the spiral screw portion are formed of the same material.
 3. The ground anchor device of claim 2, wherein the material includes a metal.
 4. The ground anchor device of claim 2, wherein the material includes a plastic material.
 5. The ground anchor device of claim 1, wherein the rod portion and the spiral screw portion are formed of different materials.
 6. The ground anchor device of claim 1, wherein a distal end of the rod portion is connected to a handle end of the spiral screw portion.
 7. The ground anchor device of claim 1, wherein the rod portion and the spiral screw portion are formed from a single rod comprising a metal or plastic material.
 8. The ground anchor device of claim 1, wherein the single rod has a uniform cross section throughout a length of the rod.
 9. The ground anchor device of claim 1, wherein the rod portion has a substantially circular cross section.
 10. The ground anchor device of claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of the rod portion varies from the ground engaging end to a distal end.
 11. The ground anchor device of claim 1, wherein the rod portion and the spiral screw portion are formed together in a mold.
 12. The ground anchor device of claim 1, wherein the spiral screw portion and the rod portion are devoid of connection features along a length of the rod portion.
 13. A method of using a ground anchor device having a substantially spiral screw portion defining an axis, and a substantially straight rod portion positioned within the screw portion along said axis, wherein a ground-engaging tip of the rod portion extends past a ground-engaging tip of the spiral screw portion, the method comprising: inserting the ground engaging tip of the rod portion into the ground until the ground-engaging tip of the spiral portion contacts the ground; and twisting the anchor device so that the spiral portion screws into the ground to a desired depth.
 14. A ground anchor device, comprising: a substantially spiral screw portion defining an axis; and a substantially straight rod portion positioned within the screw portion along said axis, wherein a ground-engaging tip of the rod portion extends past a ground-engaging tip of the spiral screw portion. 